If everything can survive without you for a week, does that make you question your value or does it mean you've built something that works?You’ve said your goodbyes to your team. The laptop is (technically) closed. You've made it to the beach/pool/mountains/garden. And then... "I'll just quickly check my emails." Five minutes later, you're replying to something that definitely could have waited until Monday. Sound familiar? Because somewhere along the way, many of us have confused being on holiday with working from a nicer location. Technology has made it possible to work from almost anywhere. Which is brilliant. Until we realise it also means we can work from everywhere. The airport. The pool. The sun lounger. Even that suspicious patch of Wi-Fi outside the hotel reception. And for high performing professionals, where responsiveness is a vital part of the job, switching off can feel particularly difficult. There's always one more email. One more client who might need you. One more thing that will "only take five minutes." Why Do We Find It So Hard to Switch Off? Is it genuinely because the client or partner needs us? Or is it something else entirely? Sometimes constant availability isn't really about great service. It can be about: Fear of missing something. Fear of appearing less committed. Wanting to stay in control. Not trusting others to handle things. Our identity being wrapped up in being the person who’s always there.
There is an important distinction between being responsive and being permanently available. Excellent service doesn't necessarily mean replying within seven minutes. It can mean managing expectations, communicating clearly or making sure someone else is ready to help if something genuinely urgent happens. If your clients or team have been conditioned to expect an immediate response at all hours, it might be worth asking: Who taught them to expect that? Sometimes, without realising it, we create the very expectations that later exhaust us. When we step away, we create space for perspective, creativity and clearer thinking. We avoid that spiral of self-loathing brought on by sheer emotional exhaustion. You know the times, when you've been staring at the same sentence for 30 minutes, unable to take in a single word, let alone summon the energy to formulate a useful response. The irony? The thing we sometimes fear will make us look less committed may actually make us better at our jobs when we return. So, if you're heading away this summer, try something radical. Actually go. Before you leave: Tell your clients or your team when you'll be unavailable. Give them someone else to contact. Decide what genuinely constitutes an emergency.
And maybe the hardest one... Perhaps the greatest sign that you've built a successful career isn't that everything stops when you leave. It's that, for a little while at least, you can. You’re doing great! Michelle
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